Apparatus for manufacturing long fibre into yarn



- April 15, 1947- s. E. THOMAS ETAL 2,418, 97

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING LONG FIBER INTO YARN Filed 001;. 25, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 15, 1947.

s. THOMAS ETAL APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING LONG FIBER INTO YARN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 25, 1944 6am we! .21 1710/2206.

lid/fer $012 6 Mia;

Patented Apr. 15, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING LONG FIBRE IN TO YARN Samuel E. Thomas and Walter R. Guthrie, Allentown, Pa., assignors to Lehigh Spinning Company, Allentown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 25, Serial No. 560,262 7 Claims. (of. 19-158) by the Government Printing Ofiice in 1907, re veals that fibres adapted for spinning may be di vided into fabric, netting, and cordage fibres.

Cordage fibres are rarely used in weaving and netting because they are a hard fibre, and they are also long fibres. The apparatus of the present invention has particular application to,,the

manufacture of a yarn from long vegetable fibre. It also has particular application to any long artificial fibres such as synthetic cellulose fibres prepared by the viscose, acetate, cuprammonium, nitrocellulose, and other processes, the product being known. as rayon; or the artificial fibres of cellulose xanthate, known as ,Cellophane; or the artificial fibres from the relatively new Drotein-like polyamides known as nylon. Flax, ramie, jute, etc.,'are examples of the long, soft, vegetable fibre, while coir and manila, sisal, and common hemp are examples of long, hard, vegetable cordage fibre referred to herein.

One of the objects of the present invention resides in a'simplified apparatus for use in the manufacture of long fibre, both hard and soft, into yarn. The initial step in the manufacture of the yarn is performed on the Goods principle, well known in the art, and which step is practiced by a combined combing and stretching or straightening machine of Good disclosed in U. S. Patent 94,462 of October 5, 1869. In the machine revealed in the aforesaid patent, the resulting sliver was of uneven weight, and no provision was made for delivering it in a unit for subsequent treatment. The advantage of the present invention includes collecting the fibre under pressure in a continuous layer, such as a roll,

current practice, in that the softening emulsion permeates the mass of raw material because of the pressure applied when the sliver is collected into large compact units; the large compact units of the intermediate material may be handled and stored economically in the minimum of factory floor space; and the compact unit does not become ravelled and roughened in handling and will not break and slough so'readily in subsequent operations.

Among the objects of the present invention is the creation of an apparatus which permits the :loi'i'g' fiTbre, both hard and soft, to be collected Pin a compact unit, such as a roll, under presin relatively large compact units adapted for treatment in subsequent operations in transformv ing the'units into yarn. The initial step hitherto unknown in the industry will process the long soft fibre in a manner that has many advantages over regulation methods, among which are:

When applied to the manufacture of yarns for cordage, where the long hard fibre is used, the present invention has the advantage over sure, and to feed the fibre directly from the compact units to machines that perform certain subsequent steps in the method of treatment. I

=-==='-I-l"retofore in forming rolls with apparatus of the prior art, only slight pressure was used in the formation of the roll and should a substantial pressure be used in order to place more material in a roll of a given size, it was necessary to use a separator strip between the laps in order that the laps could be unwound without tangling. In the present device the fibre of each lap is wound onto the roll under extreme pressure far exceeding anything heretofore known in the art which makes it possible to place in one roll of approximately five feet in diameter and six inches in thickness, two to three hundred pounds of fibre. The apparatus of the present invention places the laps upon the roll in a manner in which the fibres are free of tension while under considerable pressure, thus enabling the laps to be unwound in succeeding operations uniformly and without substantial entanglement with the fibres of the adjacent lap. It is accordingly among the purposes of the present invention to provide an apparatus to form rolls of fibre in which each lap as it is placed upon the roll is under substantial pressure and the fibres making up the lap are free of longitudinal tension.

With the foregoing objects in view, the invention consists of a novel combination of apparatus 3 combing and spreading action, and a roll former coupled with the combined comber and spreader, which mechanism is the initial step in the treatment of both the hard and soft, long fibre.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the delivery end of the combined comber and spreader.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of Figure 2.

- Figure 4 is a perspective view of the ram andactuating cables removed from the cylinder and the combined comber and spreader, whereby the tension on the rolls is applied.

It will be understood that the apparatus illustrated in the drawings, from Figure l to Figure 4, inclusive illustrates apparatus used in the manufacture of yarn from long soft fibre such as flax, ramie, jute, etc., where the heads of rawstock, run from 2 to 12 feet long. The extremely vigorous combing action, together with the spreading, or drawing action, and the stretching and straightening action performed by the Goods machine of the character revealed in the Patent 95,462, is not followed primarily to break the fibre into shorter lengths. Although the machine does split some ofthe fibre in the direction of its length, and also does break the fibre into shorter lengths to some extent, the major portion of the breaking into shorter lengths is preferred to be accomplished in the breaker card, and in the case of the soft fibre, the ideal condition sought is to reduce the breaking into shorter lengths to .a minimum in the Goods machine, and do all of the breaking in a breaker vention to control and regulate the feeding of the raw stock to the Goods machine, indicated generally at B. To accomplish this purpose, the operator is provided with a precision feeding device which eliminates the feeding of the machine B, by the skill of the operator alone, based on his experience developed by long periods of trial and error, commonly referred to as a rule of thumb.

A register supported on stand is initially selected to provide the necessary weighing facilities required for the present invention the register constituting the subject matter of our copending application Serial No. 557,446, filed October 6, 1944. In the present instance, the design may utilize anything less than one complete circumference of the dial 52. The weight indicating hand 54 cooperates with the dial to register the actual weight of the fibre in the wheeled box 2| on weighing platform 22, after the tare beam is set to counterbalance the weight of the empty box in the customary manner well known in the industry. An indicating hand 60 which is disposed to overhang the margin of dial 52 adjacent the scale markings follows a path conforming to the weight indicating hand 54 when it is coupled to move with the motion of the feed table 25.

When a, box 2| of raw fibre is placed on platform 22, and the weight-indicating hand 54 moves to the position on scale markings commensurate with the actual Weight of the contained fibre, after the tare has been deducted by the usual manipulation of tare beam, then the the position of hand 54. As hand 60 moves counterclockwise being driven -by means 40-41 inclusive upon operation of table 25, the operator removes raw fibre from the box 2| and supplies it to the feed table 25, so as to keep the weightindicating hand 54, moving in response to the loss of weight in box 2|, in substantial alignment with the movement of the speed-indicating hand 60. It will therefore, be seen that the method of treating fibre herein, utilizes a regulated amount of fibre at a certain stage, preferably at the initial step where the fibre is fed to the Goods machine B, through the instrumentality of the precision feeding device as described in the foregoing.

In addition to the feed table 25, the machine B is equipped with a pair of spring loaded fluted feed rolls 69 and 10, whereby adequate pressure may be applied. It is pointed out that there is no crushing or breaking pressure applied to the traveling fibre by the feed rolls 69, ID, the pressure being adjusted to a tension only necessary to grip the ends of the fibres and pull them free of the feed table 25 ,and pass them into contact with the slow combing chain I5 of the machine B.

As distinguished from the customary preliminary crushing and opening of the fibre, it will be seen that this invention applies a combination combing, spreading or drawing, stretchings, and parallelizing action where all tension is administered in a direction of the axis of the fibre. This step is accomplished by the slow combing chain 15 operating on the traveling fibre in conjunction with the fast combing chain 16. These chains not only comb, draw and stretch the traveling fibre but simultaneously align all the fibre in parallel relation with respect to the axis of the fibre on the Goods principle in Patent 95,462. The speed of the slow combing chain 75 is such as to move faster than the peripheral speed of the feed rolls 69, 10 and consequently there is a drawing, stretching, combing and parallelizing action on the fibre between the slow combing chain 15 and the feed rolls. The fast combing chain 16 moves in the same plane and in the same direction as the slow chain 15, but it moves at a rate of speed ten times faster than the slow chain. The combing is then performed in a horizontal plane different from tangential combing and breaking on the cylinder of a breaker card. To facilitate adherence of the fibre to the combing pins, to be presently described, on the slow combing chain 15, a pair of lantern rolls 18, are provided, one near one end of the chain, and the other at the opposite end. Each of these rolls consist of a plurality of spaced bars 19, which are arranged to revolve with the roll and press the fibre downwardly between the combing pins and hold the fibre securely to the slow chain .15, so that greater combing and stretching action ensues when the fast chain 16 pulls the fibre free of the slow chain.

While the fibre is passing along the slow chain 75, a regulation softening emulsion is sprayed in a fine mist by a spray head 8| connected to a supply tank having a suitable pressure applied, not shown, by means of the pipe 82.

The slow combing chain 15 consists of a pair of endless chains trained over sprockets 83, 84, on shafts that are journaled in the side frames. The fast combing chain 16 is constructed like the slow chain 15 and its pair of chains are slow chain to the path of the combing or hackle pins '89 on the fast chain 16, where these pins comb through the forward ends of the fibre in a stretching action until sufficient of the fibre is being clawed and combed to pull it free of the pins 89 on the slow moving chain I5, whereupon the fibre is carried by the fast chain I6 to the delivery rolls 90, 9I, which strip the fibre free of the hackle pins on fast chain I6. The fibre then passes from the set of delivery rolls 90, 9I into a lateral condensing trough 92, which progressively narrows the width of the web of fibre,

- and has a tendency to thicken the web.

The fibre then passes through the first set of condensing rolls 93, 94 where the thickness of the web is reduced. After passing through rolls 93, 94 the web of fibre is again laterally reduced a it passes through condensing trough 95, and its thickness is then 'reduced by the second set of condensing rolls 96, 91 from where the web emerges as a sliver, which is unmatted and unfelted by any extraneous means except for the cohesion produced in the two stages of lateral and vertical compressing, or condensing, above described. From the second 'set of condensing rolls 96, 91, the web now reduced to a sliver, is fed to theroll former, indicated generally at C, which is combined in anovel manner with the delivery mechanism'of the machine B.

The mechanical features of the roll former C, consist of a support composed of a pair of side frames consisting of plates I00, I 0| secured to the floor. The support further consists of a pair of inverted U-shaped frames I02, I03 rearward of the frames I00, IOI, and in these latter frames are journaled the shafts I04, I05 which drive the traction supplying rolls I06, I01 respectively, that wind the sliver on the core, as will presently appear. Although the support is shown and described as two, pairs of frames, one pair I00, IOI for rotatably supporting the core, and the other I02, I03, for supporting the shafts, it is within the contemplation of the invention to combine the functions and use by a single pair of frames such as a continuation of the side frames 23, 24 of the machine B.

Opening at the upper edge, and extending vertically to the approximate centers of the side frames I00, IOI are aligned slots, one in each frame, which form guideways I08 that receive portions adjacent the ends of a spindle I09 that supports a wooden core IIO on which the sliver of fibre is wound. The driving rolls are arranged to provide a space between the upper segments of their peripheries which forms a cradle II I that initially supports the core H0, and the roll H2 of sliver as the roll is wound on the core. It isto be noted that the outer periphery IIOa. of the core H0 is tapered slightly so the core may be easily removed from the roll when the core is struck with a hammer.

In order to provide for mounting and demounting the rolls of sliver II2, there are a pair of fiat connector plates II8, one on each side, formed with a banjo slot II 9 to receive the heads I090. on the spindle I09. At the lower part, each connector plate has a stud I20 with which the loops I2I on the end of the pair of pressure-applying cables I 22 engage. The pair of cables I22 are trained about pulleys I23, I24 mounted conveniently on the machine, and are secured, one to each end of a cross piece I25 on the end of an air ram I 26.

The ram is connected to the piston I21 which operates in an air cylinder. I28 mounted under machine B. The air ram I26 supplies a constant pressure usually 60 lbs. which acts as a compression force on the roll of sliver I I2, as it is wound on the core I I0. This pressure is supplied from an air reservoir I30, maintained under the desired pressure, through a pipe I3I which connects with the control valve I32, having a rotary core I33, operated by a handle, not shown, with a passage I34, which, when in the position shown in Figure 3, connects with one end of the cylinder I28, through pipe I35. In this position, the desired pressure is applied to the ram I26. To release the ram I26 and chang rolls, the core I33 is turned counter-clockwise about 90 degrees from the position shown in Figure 3, and the core passage I34 connects pipe I35 with the opposite end of cylinder I28 by pipe I36, where the pressure is relieved through an opening I 31 in the cylinder head. With the pressure on the ram released, cables I22 are slack, then the connector plates I I 8 may be lifted free of the spindle I09, and a crane may be used to lift the wound pressure compacted roll out of the frames I00, IOI, and an empty core is placed in the cradle III with a new spindle I09 inserted therein. Then the connector plates, and the cables, are assembled ready to wind another roll of sliver.

The rolls I I2 are Wound on the core under the pressure transmitted through the cables I22 from the ram I26 pulling downwardly on the connector plates H8, and this maintains the periphery of the increasing roll of sliver in contact with the peripheries of rolls I06 and I01. The rolls I06, I01 are driven by chain and sprocket connection I40, shaft I04, I05, chain and sprocket connection I4I, with shaft I42 of the lower condenser roll 94, thence by chain and sprocket connection I43, to the main drive shaft I44, which carries the pulley I45 and idle pulley I45a that are connected by a shiftable belt to the prime mover, not shown. The drive for the condenser rolls 96, 91, is taken from chain MI by a sprocket on shaft Ib which carries lower roll 91. The drive for upper roll 96 is taken from shaft I50b, gears I50, I49 to idle shaft I46, thence by chain and sprocket connections I4'I' to shaft I48 which carries roll 96. The

sliver of this type is formed into a roll, especially.

under extreme pressure as in the present case, where the peripheral speed of the roll is the same or greater than the longitudinal speed of the slivers from the delivery rolls 90, 9I and condenser rolls 96, 91, the roll formed under such conditions is irregular and difiicult to use in subsequent operations as the fibre of adjacent laps become entangled and the laps cannot be unwound uniformly.

To obtain a uniform roll having substantially straight sides from which the laps can be easily removed in succeeding operations, it has been discovered that a plus feed to the roll former sufficient to permit the application of pressure to the roll without longitudinal tension in the fibres of the lap is required. Usually this plus feed amounts to about 2% although with certain fibres satisfactory results may be obtained within a range of 2% to 8%. The drive for rolls I06, I! is so arranged in a suitable manner as to give these rolls a slower peripheral speed than the longitudinal speed of the advancing sliver sufficient to wave or crimp the sliver as it forms upon the roll, thus permitting the fibres of the lap being formed to seek their position without longitudinal tension.

Only the long soft fibre is treated in a conditioning room and subjected to a breaker card. As the compacted units, such as the rolls H2, are removed from the roll former C containing the softening emulsion 80 they are confined in a closed chamber, or conditioning room, at atmospheric pressure. The temperature in the room is kept at no less than room temperature, and preferably ranging from 85 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and at a humidity less than the saturation point. The relative humidity is maintained within the range of from 80 to 90 in the conditioning chamber. The rolls of long soft fibre are preferably placed upright and subjected to this conditioning treatment for a period of from 12 to 24 hours, at which time the rolls are removed and are ready for further processing.

After long hard fibre has been subjected to the combing, drawing or spreading, stretching, and straightening operations and has been formed under pressure of 60 lbs. into rolls H2, instead of conditioning the hard fibre, it is conveyed on a suitable vehicle to a creel combinedwith the breaker card not shown.

We claim:

1. A roll former comprising a frame having guide slots therein, a core positioned within the frame'upon which a ccdtinuous sliver may be wound, a spindle for the core having its ends extending through the guide slots of the frame, whereby the core is movable longitudinally with respect to said slots, a pair of traction rolls rotatably supporting the core, means for rotating the traction rolls so that upon operation thereof the core is rotated to wind siver thereon, said guide slots extending in such direction that movement of the core in one direction longitudinally with respect to the slots causes it to move towards the traction rolls, a pair of plates, means for detachebly securing the end portions of said spindle to said plates, flexible cables secured at one end to said plates, a fluid operated ram for applying a substantially constant tensive force to the other end of said cables in a direction tending to move the core in said slots in a direction towards the traction rolls so that a substantially uniform pressure is applied to the sliver as it is wound on the core.

2. In an apparatus for treating fibre having means for forming fibre onto rolls including delivery rolls and means for driving the same for advancing a continuous sliver of long fibres; the improvement which comprises a core upon which the sliver may be wound to form a roll, a frame having sidewalls, said frame being constructed and arranged to so guide the sliver to the core that the sliver is wound spirally upon the core between said sidewalls, traction applying rolls rotatably supporting the core and sliver wound thereon, means for applying a compressible force to the sliver being wound on the core, and means for driving the traction rolls at a peripheral speed of less than the linear speed of the sliver as fed to the traction rolls by said delivery rolls whereby upon rotation of the traction rolls a transversely crimped lap not under tension is wound upon the core to form a roll which readily may be unwound.

3. In an apparatus for treating fibre having means for forming fibre onto rolls including delivery rolls and means for driving the same for advancing a continuous sliver of long fibres; the improvement which comprises a core upon which the'sliver may be wound to form a roll, a frame having sidewalls, said frame being constructed and arranged to so guide the sliver to the core that the silver is wound spirally upon the core between said sidewalls, traction applying rolls rotatably supporting the core and sliver wound thereon, means for applying a compressible force to the sliver being wound on the core, and means for driving the traction rolls at a peripheral speed 2-8% less than the linear speed of the sliver as fed to the traction rolls by said delivery rolls whereby upon rotation of the traction rolls a transversely crimped lap not under tension is wound upon the core to form a roll which readily may be unwound.

4. In an apparatus for treating fibre having means for forming fibre into rolls including delivery rolls and means for driving the same for advancing a continuous sliver of long fibers; the

improvement which comprises a frame having guide slots therein, a core positioned within the frame upon which continuous sliver may be wound, a spindle for the core having its ends extending through the guide slots of the frame, whereby the core is movable longitudinally with respect to said slots, traction applying rolls rotatably supporting the core and sliver wound thereor. means detachably connected to the ends of the spindle for applying a compressible force to the sliver being wound on the core and means for driving the traction rolls at a peripheral speed less than the linear speed of the sliver as fed to the traction rolls by said delivery rolls whereby upon rotation of the traction rolls a transversely crimped lap not under tension is wound upon the core to form a roll which readily may be unwound.

5. In an apparatus for treating fibre having means for forming fibre into rolls including delivery rolls and means for driving the same for advancing a continuous sliver of long jute fibres; the improvement which comprises a frame having guide slots therein, a core positioned within the frame upon which a continuous sliver may be wound, a spindle for the core having its ends extending through the guide slots of the frame, whereby the core is movable longitudinally with respect to the slots, traction applying rolls rotatably supporting the core and sliver wound thereon, means for driving the traction rolls at a peripheral speed less than the linear speed of the sliver as fed to the traction rolls by said delivery rolls whereby upon rotation of the traction rolls a transversely crimped lap not under tension is wound upon the core to form a, roll which readily may be unwound, a pair of plates, means for detachably securing the end portions of said spindle to said plates, a flexible cable secured at one end to each of said plates, and a fluid operated ram for applying a substantially constant tensive force to the other end of said cables in a direction tending to move the core 9 r in said slots in a direction towards the traction rolls.

6. In an apparatus for treating fibre having means for forming fibre into rolls including delivery rolls and means for driving the same for advancing a continuous sliver of long jute fibres; the improvement which comprises a frame having guide slots therein, a core positioned within the frame upon which a continuous sliver may be wound, a spindle for the core having its ends extending through the guide slots of the frame, whereby the core is movable longitudinally with respect to the slots, traction applying rolls rotatably supporting the core and sliver wound thereon, means for driving the traction rolls at a, peripheral speed less than the linear speed of the sliver as fed to the traction rolls by said delivery rolls whereby upon rotation of the traction rolls a transversely crimped lap not under tension is wound upon the core to .form a roll which readily may be unwound, a pair of plates, means for detachably securing the end portions of said spindle to said plates, a flexible cable secured at one end to each of said plates, a fluid operated rain for applying a substantially constant tensive force to the other end of said cables in a direction tending to move the core in said slots in a direction towards traction rolls, and means for operating the ram to a position to slacken the cables in order to quickly detach the plates and remove a full roll of sliver and supply an empty core in preparation for forming a suc ceeding roll.

7. In an apparatus for treating fibre having means for forming fibre into rolls including delivery rolls and means for driving the same for advancing a continuous sliver of-long jute fibres; the improvement which comprises a frame having guide slots therein, a core positioned .within the frame upon which a continuous sliver may be wound, a spindle for the core having its ends extending through the guide slots of the frame, whereby the core is movable longitudinally with respect to the slots, traction applying rolls rotatably supporting the core and sliver wound thereon, means for driving the traction rolls at a'peripheral speed 2-8% less than the linear speed of the sliver as fed to the traction rolls by said delivery rolls whereby upon rotation of the traction rolls a transversely crimped lap not under tension is wound upon the core to form a roll which readily may be unwound, a pair of plates, means for detachably securing the end portions of said spindle to said plates, a flexible cable secured at one end to each of said plates, and a, fluid operated ram for applying a substantially constant tensive force to the other end of said cables in a direction tending to move the core in said slots in a direction towards the traction rolls.

SAMUEL E. THOMAS. WALTER R. GU'I'HRIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 16,842 Johnson Mar. 17, 1857 983,306 Owen Feb. 7, 1911 2,109,936 Tice Mar. 1, 1938 636,380 Faulkner Nov. 7, 1899 1,876,194 Wuest Sept. 6, 1932 2,160,495 Francis May 30, 1939 2,217,862 Fryer et al Oct. 15, 1940 1,213,665 McGeouch Jan. 23, 1917 1,500,797 Cadden July 8, 1924 2,011,653 Rufsvold Aug. 20, 1935 

